Exclusive for Manufacturers' Representatives, the MRN will host a collection of business-critical discussions moderated by industry experts. Through these intimate roundtable discussions, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive practical solutions to real-world manufacturer rep opportunities and issues.

Consolidating distribution, the growth in big-box retailing and the explosion of online sales have caused corrosive price competition among traditional resellers in the automotive aftermarket and those with lower costs of doing business, leading to resale price erosion that jeopardizes brand equity, consumer service and reseller viability.

In a realistic, no-nonsense presentation, various lawful approaches that can be taken to prevent or manage this situation will be discussed, as well as which alternatives work best in particular circumstances. Recent developments and innovative options will be highlighted.

Just getting started with product data? Our introductory course will explain the industry data standards in easy to understand terms, giving you the confidence to begin managing your product data like a pro!

Resale price erosion affects every level of distribution—manufacturers, warehouse/distributors and both brick-and-mortar and online dealers and retailers. With this in mind, this interactive discussion involves a knowledgeable, sometimes provocative, representative from each of the primary stakeholders to talk about the key issues, the actions often taken or ignored and the effects on the market and the players. Attendees are encouraged to participate with their own questions and comments.

Learn how to cash in on this lucrative region. The United Arab Emirates and surrounding countries provide some of the best opportunities for U.S. specialty-parts manufacturers. Off-roading, classic-car collecting and motorsports are all growing in popularity. Attendees will also learn about the details of the fifth one-on-one matchmaking program to be held in Abu Dhabi on March 29–April 2, 2016.Add this FREE seminar to your itinerary through your SEMA Show Registration dashboard: Register today!

The 2015 SEMA Emerging Leaders Conference is a half-day leadership program for outstanding professionals and aspiring executives. Leadership qualities, community networking, and entrepreneurial motivation are just some of the things you will walk away with after attending the conference. All attendees must be nominated.

The Emerging Leaders Conference will give attendees insight on leadership concepts and strategies to prepare them with the key variables of successful business leadership. Created for those with three to five years of industry experience, participants will enjoy a “learn through doing” program and walk away with a greater awareness of their skills and leadership styles.

Leading SEMA companies customize with confidence by knowing how advanced vehicle technologies impact their products and businesses. If you want to ensure your suspension products and modifications can be successfully integrated with the latest vehicle active-safety systems and vehicle dynamics technologies, as well as comply with federal motor vehicle safety regulations, then this Forum is for you.

A seminar for data managers and company executives, learn more about getting the most out of your data sets from our team. We will discuss how to improve the quality of your data with the goal of your customers selling more of your parts!

This session will address the history of the R&D (aka Manufacturer’s) Tax Credit; what the IRS considers to be R&D; capturing R&D expenditures; the potential risks and rewards; actual-case examples; and how this applies to SEMA members.

New laws are changing the way patents should be pursued, and how you should view the patents of others. This course offers practical solutions to the challenges presented by your businesses inventions – the objective being to build leverage though the patent process. To achieve this, you will learn how to:

For SDC Supplier and Receiver members only, this User Group experience is the forum to have your voice heard to your vendors and customers. Jim Graven will moderate the forum, and follow up the discussion with an outlook for the SDC in 2016 and beyond!

For more information and to register for this session, please contact Jim Graven at 888-958-6698 or jimg@semadatacoop.org

Calling Female Professionals: The SEMA Businesswoman’s Network (SBN) will again host the Gear-up Girl Networking event at this year’s SEMA Show. Started in 2011, as part of the SEMA Education student program, Gear-up Girl is designed to connect female students with industry leading female professionals. Join us for this dynamic mixer that brings together generations of female professionals.

I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair: I-CAR training is structured around individual’s roles as collision industry professionals and helps achieve the knowledge required to advance in the industry.

Get the recognition you deserve. When an individual takes an I-CAR course and successfully completes the post-test, he or she will earn points valid towards their I-CAR Gold Class Professionals designation or I-CAR Platinum Individual designation requirements.

I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, is returning to the SEMA Show in 2015 with I-CAR training available to attendees each day of the SEMA Show. I-CAR training is structured around individual’s roles as collision industry professionals and helps achieve the knowledge required to advance in the industry.